The Top Up-And-Coming Cities For Recent College Grads

It's a message that's repeated to college graduates year after year: When seeking the best possible combination of strong job opportunities and manageable costs, don't limit your employment search to the coasts.

To identify the cities gaining traction with recent college graduates, job search site ZipRecruiter looked at cities with low median rents, low competition, a high percentage of open jobs for candidates with a college degree, and high concentrations of residents ages 21 to 24, and a broad offering of leisure activities.

At the top of the list is the Cincinnati-Middletown area of Ohio-Kentucky-Wisconsin. According to ZipRecruiter, retail, insurance, and customer service are the top three industries, with jobs like event specialist and bank teller available at the entry level. The city also offers very affordable living--average rent on a one-bedroom apartment is $698 per month.

Up next is the Austin-Round Rock area of Texas, where nearly 9% of the overall population is made up of residents ages 21 to 24. The top industries are education, healthcare, and hospitality, and jobs like student coordinator and occupations therapist are available at the entry level. The city also benefits from a thriving live music scene, as well as a comedy circuit the claims "the most improv per capita," according to ZipRecruiter.

Cincinnati-Middletown tops this list. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Madison, Wisconsin rounds out the top three cities on this list with upwards of 11% of its population made up of those aged 21 to 24. Average rent on a one-bedroom apartment in Madison is $775, and the top three industries are insurance, customer service, and hospitably, with entry-level jobs like field agent and customer service rep available.

Though the list features cities across the U.S., it does shy away from the coasts–an important message for job-seekers who may think that New York and San Francisco are the only places to begin a career.

And while most of the cities on this list are in the Midwest, cities like Albany, New York and Salt Lake City, Utah, also make the cut, with low rents, high percentages of young residents, and opportunities in industries like education and computer software.